Folding bed



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.) Y

G. VAN HOOREBEKE 8v T. E. FORD.

l FOLDING BED. No. 409,527. K Patented Aug. 20, 1889.

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GUSTAVUS VANA l-IOOREBEKE ANI) THOMAS E. FORD, OF CARLYLE, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING BED.

SPECIFICATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 409,527, dated August 20, 1889.

Application filed December 19, 1887. Serial No. 258,402. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that we, GUsTAvUs VAN I-IooREBEKE and THOMAS E. FORD, of Carlyle, in the county of Clinton and State of Illinois,

have invented a new and Improved Combination Folding Bed; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the said invention.

This invention relates to household furniro ture.

The object of the invention is to producea folding bedstead which shall be simple in construction, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture, and reliable in use.

i 5 lith these objects in view the invention resides essentially in a folding bedstead comprising an upright stationary portion, a folding portion pivoted to the upright portion and having legs pivoted to it, and a cord hav- 2o ing an interposed spring attached to the legs thereof above their pivoted point and to the stationary portion and passing over the pivoted portion in the rear of the pivoted connection between the stationary and movable 2 5 portions.

Ne have illustrated the invention in the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures, and in which- 3o Figure l represents a front elevation, the bedstead being shown closed, Fig. 2 representing a side elevation, partly in section, showing the folding portion lowered, with the mechanism for opening t-he legs; Fig. S, a top 3 5 plan View of the folding portion, showing the balancing-weight and the draft-screws.

` In the drawings, A designates the upright portion, designating the folding frame constructed of wood or any other suitable 1nate- 4o rial. I) is a rail rigidly attached to B at the outer end and has fastened to it the wire mattress. I1 is another rail adapted to slide in slots at the inner end of the frame and car ries the bolts or draft-screws, as shown.

C is a heavy strip of metal acting as the balancing-weight, is made larger at the top than at the bottom, and is firmly secured to the frame at the end nearest the stationary portion. In the balancingweight are perforations through which pass 'the bolts or draftscrews c, carried by the sliding rail b. The

wire mattress is stretched between the two rails b and b', and is tightened by nuts c on the draft-screws.

The letter b2 indicates the trunnions, in 55 which the folding frame swings in bearings in the upright stationary portion and may be of any approved construction.

D indicates the folding legs' hinged at d to the outer end of the frame B. These are 6o made in the form of a frame extending the entire width of the bed, and may be ornamented'as desired to make the head of the dressing-case.

E indicates a cord,which is fastened to the base of the stationary portion,passes over the pulley c, and is attached to the spring X, from the other end of which another cord c is carried to the folding legs, as shown at e2 in Fig.

2. The legs are formed witha top piece, to 7o which at e2 is attached the end of the cord. This point being above the hinge the legs will open and assume the position shown in Fig. 2 when the cord is drawn tightly, while when the folding frame is raised and the cord thereby loosened the legs will close in obedience to gravity. The function of the spring is to compensate for the weight of the folding portion. As this folding portion is lowered, the distance between the point at which the 8o cord orwire is attached and the pulleyon the movable part increases, causing the cord or wire to pla-yover the pulley and impose a ten* sion on the spring, gradually increasing as the folding portion descends; consequently 8 5 more power is required to sustain it. As the portion B rises to a closed position the tension gradually is taken from the sprin g, and thus sudden closing -by the action of t-he .spring is avoided. 9o

By the employment of this spring the heavy weight usually employed for countcrbalancing the weight of the movable part of the bed is dispensed with and the cost of the structure materially lessened.

The wire mattress is attached at one en d to the rail, which is rigidly secured to the outer end of the frame, and at the other to a rail which is provided with bolts passing through the frame and the weight. It is evident that roo when the mattress requires to be more tightly stretched. the nuts on the bolts must be screwed up. The bolts, therefore, act as draftscreWs, and the nuts thereon have a solid bearing on which to turn. This construction presents the advantage of giving greater strength and stability, and at the same time it facilitates the raising and lowering of the bed and also provides means for keeping thc Wire mattress properly stretched.

Having thus fully described our invention, whatwe claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a folding bed, the combination, with the upright stationary portion, of the folding portion pivoted thereto, having legs hinged to its end, the cords having the interposed spring and attached to the legs above the hinge and to the stationary portion and passing over the pivoted portion in the rear of the pivotal connection between the stationary and movable portions, substantially as described.

2. In a folding bed, the combination, with the upright stationary portion, of the folding portion pivoted thereto having legs hinged to its end and the Weight attached in the rear of the pivot, the cord having the interposed spring attached to the legs above the hinge and to the stationary portion and passing over the pivoted portion in the rear of the pivotal connection between the stationary and movable portions, substantially as described.

GUSTAVUS VAN HOOREBEKE. THOS. E. FORD. Witnesses:

RUFUs N. RAMsAY, L. S. LAMB. 

